Best Recipes For Stiffening Crochet Snowflakes

There are many ready-to-use fabric stiffeners you can find on the market, such as Mod Podge, Aleene's fabric stiffener, API Fabric Stiffener, etc. However, I would also like to share a few of my favorite recipes that you can easily make at home to create your own fabric stiffener.

Begin by selecting your primary component; you will only need one of the following ingredients:

• Starch (Corn, Potato, Wheat, or other)
• Gelatin (Unflavored)
• White School Glue or any other PVA (Polyvinyl Acetates) based glue

Additionally, you will require water, cloth towels, bowls, rust-proof pins, blocking board or Styrofoam board (you may also use a regular piece of cardboard covered with a thin clear plastic bag for protection). For the Gelatin and Starching methods, you will also need a small pot and kitchen stove.

Stiffening With Starch

This recipe is for Hard Stiffening using starch – corn, potato, or wheat based starch are the best. If you wish to make a Medium Stiffener, you can simply reduce the amount of listed starch in half.

1. Dissolve 3 Tbs of Starch in 1/2 cup of COLD water. You can use any starch you have in your kitchen – corn, potato, or wheat based starch are the best. 
2. The mixture will look solid white, like milk.
3. Boil 3 cups of water in a pot and slowly add your starch mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly (to avoid lumps) for 40-60 sec until it looks clear. Remove from the heat at the boiling point.
4. Pour the stiffener from the hot pot into a bowl and keep stirring it from time to time until it cools down to 90F-100F, or to a comfortable temperature for your hands. The stirring process will prevent a thin film appearing on the top of the mixture, and will also help to cool it down faster. Your starch stiffener is now ready to use; it should look slightly creamy (whitish-silver color) with a consistency of a cough syrup. It may be more or less transparent, depending on the starch type you’ve used.
5. Soak your crochet snowflakes in the stiffener for 2-5 min, and while you are waiting, prepare a bowl with warm water and have a cloth towel handy to keep your fingers clean, as they will get very sticky from the solution.
6. Remove your snowflakes one-by-one from the stiffener, squeezing the extra liquid out.
7. Stretch and pin your snowflakes onto the blocking board, rinsing your hands in a bowl of water when necessary. Allow snowflakes to dry, then carefully peel them from the board. It may take up to 24 hours to dry at room temperature or just a few hours in the sun.

Stiffening With Gelatin

This recipe is for Hard Stiffening using unflavored gelatin. If you wish to make a Medium Stiffener, you can simply reduce the amount of listed gelatin in half.

1. Put 2 Tbs of unflavored gelatin in a bowl.
2. Add 1 cup of COLD water to the bowl with gelatin.
3. Mix granules gently with your fingers to make sure that they all are covered in water and there are no lumps in the mixture. Let it soak for 10-15 min until gelatin absorbs the moisture and is translucent.
4. Boil 2 cups of water in a pot, then slowly add your gelatin mixture to the boiling water.
5. Stir quickly over the heat until gelatin is dissolved  (about 5-10 sec) and remove from heat (no need to bring it to a boil). The consistency of the solution will be thin and watery (like apple juice) with a slightly yellow color accent, but don't worry – it won’t change the color of your fabric.
6. Pour the solution from the hot pot into a bowl and let it cool down to 90F-100F, or to a comfortable temperature for your hands. Your gelatin stiffener is now ready to be used. 
7. Soak your crochet snowflakes in the stiffener for 2-5 min, and while you are waiting, prepare a bowl with warm water and have a cloth towel handy to keep your fingers clean, as they will get very sticky from the solution.
8. Remove your snowflakes one-by-one from the stiffener, squeezing the extra liquid out. Stretch and pin your snowflakes onto the blocking board, rinsing your hands in a bowl of water when necessary. Allow snowflakes to dry, then carefully peel them from the board. It may take up to 24 hours to dry at room temperature or just a few hours in the sun.

Stiffening With Glue

This recipe is for Hard Stiffening using a non-toxic white school glue / PVA (Polyvinyl Acetates) based glue. I would not recommend it for medium or light stiffening. Also, be sure to use it on white or light fabrics only, as it may whiten slightly the original color. Working with glue may not be the most pleasant experience due to its slimy texture. However, it does result in super stiff snowflakes with a firm crochet structure.

1. Prepare an equal amount of glue and cold water (I used a small 100 gr cup for measuring).
2. Pour cold water into a bowl, then add the same amount of glue to the water.
3. Mix all until the consistency is smooth and even. The mixture will turn out solid white with a consistency of buttermilk; it will feel slimy on your fingers.
4. Soak your crochet snowflakes in the stiffener for 2-5 min, and while you are waiting, prepare a bowl with warm water and have a cloth towel handy to keep your fingers clean, as they will get very sticky from the solution.
5. Remove your snowflakes one-by-one from the stiffener, squeezing the extra liquid out. Stretch and pin your snowflakes onto the blocking board, rinsing your hands in a bowl of water when necessary. Allow snowflakes to dry, then carefully peel them from the board. It may take up to 24 hours to dry at room temperature or just a few hours in the sun.

Christmas snowflakes never get old. It's a great way to keep traditions and pass them down from generation to generation. Here is my FREE pattern with row-by-row instructions and crochet diagrams for 12 different snowflakes using size 10 cotton thread. I hope you enjoy making them!